Transparency Still Lacking
Former New Jersey Nursing Home Owner Faces Fraud Charges in Arkansas
Nearly 21 months have elapsed since the horrific April 2020 scenes described at a Sussex County, NJ nursing home hit the news. Charges recently filed against a former owner of the facilities by the Arkansas Attorney General as the result of a fraud and tax evasion investigation underway for nearly four years have raised more questions about the status of inquiries and investigations initiated by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (NJOAG.)
"In response to these developments, the Sussex County Board of Commissioners will directed (sic) legal counsel to draft a letter to Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck requesting that the Board be brought up-to-date on the investigation and that all pending OPRA requests be honored and the public information released. The Board will present the letter at its next public meeting."
As indicated by the press release quoted above, county government officials are among many (including state legislators, members of the press, and a 2021 gubernatorial candidate) who have not been furnished with materials in response to requests made under NJ's Open Public Records Act (OPRA.)
Reports of a settlement between the State of New Jersey and families of some who perished in VA homes recently became public, however, New Jerseyans still have very few answers about what actually happened in nursing homes and long term care facilities during the surge of pandemic deaths in early 2020.